Creamy Baba Ghanoush

In Arabic, “baba” means father and “ghanoush” means spoiled. This “spoiled dad” dip is the creamier companion to hummus, and if you’ve never tried it you’re in for a treat. Baba ghanoush is popular in countries throughout the Middle East. In Israel, it is known as eggplant salad, or salat hatzilim. In my home, it’s known as irresistible.

I used to think you needed to add bells and whistles to babaganoush to make it tasty… spices, lemon juice, etc. My Classic Babaganoush recipe includes cumin, lemon and a little cayenne for heat. It’s a great recipe and readers love it, but lately I’ve been craving a creamier, more simple dip. I’ve pared my original recipe down to four simple ingredients… roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic and salt. Magically, that’s all you need to create a really creamy, really scrumptious dip.

Mayonnaise is sometimes added to baba ghanoush to enhance the creamy texture (I love mayo, but not in my eggplant dip!). With the following recipe, you don’t need any mayo to make it creamy. All of that creamy goodness comes from tahini, a smooth paste made from toasted sesame seeds. Tahini is sold by the jar in Middle Eastern markets and at most health food stores; the creamier the tahini is, the creamier your dip will be. Roasting the eggplant gives it a wonderful smoky flavor, especially if you cook it over a gas flame. Serve it with warm pita bread, crackers or crudites.

We eat it by the spoonful. This stuff is highly addictive. You’ve been warned!

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Roast the eggplant; roasting over an open flame is recommended and will produce a smokier, richer flavor. For instructions, click here. Place the roasted eggplant pulp into a bowl with half of the smoky cooking liquid. Discard the skin and reserve the remaining cooking liquid. Let the eggplant return to room temperature.

Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Use a fork to stir well, breaking up any stringy pieces of eggplant, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. If the mixture seems too thick, stir in more of the cooking liquid. Taste the dip; add additional garlic or salt to taste, if desired.

Serve dip at room temperature or chilled, depending on preference, with pita bread, crackers or veggies for dipping. Garnish with a little paprika or smoked paprika if desired.

The first time I had baba ghanoush was a homemade version brought to a party several years ago, and it really was so good we consumed it all in no time! This looks simple and scrumptious and perfect for light summer eating!

We do not have good pita in our town.
Do you have a good recipe?
I’m looking for a thick, pliable, (tasty) pita. I have tried a few recipes and haven’t found a pita like ones I have had in middle eastern restaurants.
I have enjoyed everything i have made from your site!
Thanks.

What?!? I love your original recipe and I use it all the time! Now I have something new to try! I must share this with you – I’ve been following you for several years now and I LOVE your recipes and food histories. Every recipe I have made for friends, people rave about it, and I share your blog with them! Thanks for all the time and effort you put in to keep us well fed, healthy, and happy!

I love aubergine and I love dips, I have tried every single baba ghanoush on the market but never liked them, I have now just given up and realised, I don’t like it. It is not the brand, it is just not pleasant to me….it is a bit of a weird realisation

Oh Natasha, you’ve got to try homemade! Soooo much better than the ones they sell in tubs. I’ve never found a premade one I like either, but homemade or from a good restaurant is a totally different world!

I made this for a party tonight, couldn’t stop tasting it while making it. It got a lovely smokey flavour from the gas range roasting! And I think I will definitely serve it with the smoked paprike on top. Do you think this would work as a pasta sauce, or does it separate when heated?

Holly I’m so glad you liked it! The pasta sauce is a very interesting idea, I’ve never tried it like that before. I don’t think it would separate, but I wonder how the texture will be after mixing with the pasta. If you try it will you let me know how you like it?

I am not quite understanding about open flame roasting. When I roast peppers….I hold them over the flame with tongs. But this calls for reserved liquid….so please help me understand the process. Feeling pretty dense!

Kathleen, try it sometime! There is definitely a big flavor difference roasting it on the stovetop. Also when you say puree, are you doing that with a food processor or a fork? I always blend mine with a fork– the food processor creates a strange texture, a fork is definitely the way to go! If the eggplant is well roasted, it only takes a couple of minutes to break it up with a fork, and you don’t need to wash out another appliance.

I just loved it… sitting miles away in India, I have tried your couple of recipes and loved all of them.
Cooking way of Baba Ghanoush is somewhat similar to Indian style of cooking “Baingan ka Bhurta”.